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This Is Me--2019 A to Z Theme

The Challenge of 2019 was the 10th! Since this was kind of a milestone year for A to Z my theme was a retrospective of sorts, looking at my 10 years as a blogger as well as ruminations about my life as it is and as I hope it yet can be. I've got places to be and people to see along the way. Hope you'll join me for this part of my journey...

Always a work in progress--welcome to my blog.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Research (Elements of Blogging) #AtoZChallenge

Some bloggers really put in a lot of research to compile their blog posts while others are not writing about anything that requires much research. If you're spewing out facts and figures and want to be recognized for your accuracy then it's a good idea to do thorough research so you don't end up getting disputed and being made look like a less than credible blogger.

If you want to add links to support your claims or to provide further exploration on a topic it will take some time in order to assemble them all to add to your post. Most bloggers do their research on the internet, but as in any writing that is backed by research it's wise to carefully check your source material against other sources. Beware the internet sources however as many of them are merely duplicated from site to site. The internet can be a treasure trove of useful information at times, but at others the internet spreads lies and faulty information that unfortunately starts getting accepted as truth.

Where do you usually go to fact check suspect information that you find online? What is the craziest non-truth that you've found on the internet that was being touted as fact? How much research do you usually do for your average blog post? Release Day!!! "R" also stands for "Release Day" we see many of these on blogs. Today I want to mention Nicki Elson's new release of Vibrizzio. Sounds like a steamy one so I'll let you visit Nicki's site for more info or you can check it out on Amazon!.

I use old books that I have for reference many times, press kits from the films I get and fan sites to things I might be posting. I also find if there is lots of information I will try to post about the whole week. Since my site is mostly visual anymore I will find a image and track down a song that fits best...

I love doing research. I think it is linked to why I like writing fiction - one life isn't enough for me and writing about others fully - including researching places, jobs, psyches etc...- is one way to live several lives. My biggest check on research is my fella - he is a polymath with so much accurate information stored in his brain pan that I throw him stuff all the time - is this true do you think? I'll ask him. And he'll tell me. If he doesn't know then I try and find a local real person who is an expert on whatever I'm researching.

Wikipedia is my go-to when I'm posting facts on my blog. I see a lot of idiotic stories that people take as fact posted to Facebook so I end up having to research them to see if they are true. In that regard, Snopes becomes my go-to for disproving stuff.

Hi, Arlee! My blog revolves around favorite music and memories of my youth. Decades ago, long before blogs came about, I had the foresight to make a list of the most important recordings that were popular at my notorious hangout, the Shady Dell, and get memories of my mid 60s experiences written down before they faded. Today I draw upon those reliable sources for post material and don't need to rely as heavily on the internet as I would have otherwise.

When I use the internet to look up the words to old songs I am shocked to find so many errors on song lyric sites. Site after site repeats the same mistakes.

Most of the research I do as a blogger happens when I visit other blogs and do some additional reading and fact checking before leaving a comment.

I wanted to tell you again, Arlee, that Margaret and Kathleen Schneider deeply appreciated your comment on my blog. Yesterday, Kathleen finally had time to write you a reply. I hope you get a chance to read it.

I often start at Wikipedia to get enough information to Google for other sites to verify what I've read there (Wiki rarely lets me down). My blog posts aren't research intensive, but if I say something there, I do hunt around for back up that what I say is true.

I'm blogging about animals, and I spend a lot of time researching. I normally contact the species expert if there are conflicting facts on the internet, failing that i read the scientific papers on the animals to check they have been interpreted correctly. Many facts are repeated again and again, even if they are not true - the fact that a giraffe has a huge heart compared to its size for example. It doesn't. It has a normal-sized heart for its size with very thickly muscled walls. ~ Liz http://www.lizbrownleepoet.com

I spend a lot of time researching on the internet, but in the end I go back to the tried and true books. Now depending on the project depends on how deep I need to go. My recent WIP (and now in the hands of my editor! yea!) I needed the scientific names of a lot of animals. Wikipedia is good enough for that. For my current blog theme of vampires I am going to a lot of books in my own library.

Although my blog is mostly me ranting about little things that annoy me, there is often times I need to research. For the most part, it's a particular word. When possible, I try to go right to the source. An official blog, if I'm talking about someone in particular, or if I'm ranting about some food product, right to their website. For real general information I'll use Wikapedea, though I realize not everything is correct on there. It's mostly used for research that is not very important. I.E. the title of a TV show or something like that.

Wikipedia has some excellent articles where there have been highly credible contributors, but it's not always guaranteed as solid. Using the sites closest to facts are the best, but it's good to compare information as well.

I do a lot of research for my fact-heavy posts, like my past series on diseases and historical fiction, and my A to Z posts this year and last year. It's very annoying to see urban legends being promoted as true. That just makes it harder to debunk these stories all over again for the umpteenth time. It's so frustrating to read yet ANOTHER person claiming s/he went to school with the Jello twins, or insisting "Ring Around the Rosie" is about the Black Plague.

As odd as it may sound bearing in mind the nature of my blog I do actually do research because I like to have links. OK folk seldom notice them but they are often there just under the surface of my little yarns. Take today's R post it has a little fact (OK a rather well known one) tucked away in the story, although sometimes they can be very obscure and I do wonder what makes me do it as its just extra work for me.

I basically don't need research for my blog other than for a strange ingredient. If I am searching I use Google but as far as I know I have never been misinformed but I might be perpetuating misinformation unknowingly.

I used to so much research during my studies I had gotten away from it. IN order to have good content however - even when I know what I am talking about - it is always good idea to have good information to go with it. It drives me nuts that people use one resources as a reference ;) www.petramonaco.com

I agree with many already here- check your sources. And don't limit yourself to your ideological POV, see what is on record on opposite and neutral (if you can find them) sites. If that fails, rely on CUBS (categorically unprovable B.S.)

There's been a couple times I've linked to sources on my blog. I wanted people to know I wasn't just pull things out of thin air. Sometimes I'm not always diligent about source checking, usually it's something on FB and I just forget to look into it before sharing. LOL

I don't do a whole lot of research on my blog. :( For me, my blog is about writing daily. While I try to make sure what I share is accurate, I always (at the very least) mention my sources implying that what I've said may not be accurate.

I get all most of my research from my books. I notice that some books give different birth dates so I check and re-check and use the one that seems the best. I also just know many of the info in my head but double check by looking through my books and then will go on the internet to make sure it appears aok.

I don't usually believe everything I read on the internet. I rarely do any research for my posts either, as I'm more of a personal blogger. For this month's series on blogging tips though, I am doing quite some research, but, I like to cross-check from other sources as well.

What you say is so true. If I am researching, I check at least 4-5 different sources and go by what's common on most of them. Again, after ensuring that they are not copy-pasted matter of course :)My A-Z posts: http://sundarivenkatraman.blogspot.in

I don't do a lot of research for my blog, but I am doing research for my latest novel. My protagonist gets caught up in the Madoff scandal (unwittingly). Though the scandal itself is less important than its impact on her life, I want to get the facts right. For this, I'm using online news sites such as the New York Times combined with various books about the scandal and about hostile takeovers (another subplot).

I like to do research. I use Wikipedia a lot but usually only when the info is sourced. I used a lot of research in my A-Z this year and that was fun. I've also used other resources when working on my crime novel. Some of that is done online but I also invested in a ton of forensics and crime investigation books. To me, research is fun...But it can also be a used as a stall-tactic to procrastinate from getting the real work/project done. I have fallen victim to that on more than one occasion...Michele at Angels Bark

I am following one particular blogger who is writing about disasters this April and it surprises me on the amount of research she has done for every letter. Truly commendable. Me, I take some posts very seriously and spend over 2 days perfecting the post. Random posts are always instantly written :)

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

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A juggler of words and phrases. My main blog is Tossing It Out. The focus blog for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge can now be found at a-to-zchallenge.com where updates will be posted until the event in April begins.
Wrote By Rote is about memoir writing.
A Few Words is my Sunday contemplation blog.
A Faraway View is about dreams. Pick what you like or look at them all. I love blogging!